We Begin at the End by Chris Whittaker

⭐️🧠

CW: murder, death, suicide, domestic abuse, physical abuse, addiction

Whittaker is fantastic at creating these layered characters that pull you deep into the heart of the story. This was a compelling story with layered plotting and felt like a Western film unfolding on the page.

Shrapnel Boys by Jenny Pearson

🧠

CW: death, bombing, war, racism, facism

This was a wonderful Middle Grade historical fiction story and chillingly relevant to our current political climate. I particularly loved the way Pearson showed the influence of ideology on younger people and ways to combat this.

Return to Midnight by Emma Dues

🧠

CW: murder, death, violence, blackmail, grooming, manipulation, sexual harassment, stalking

This had such a great set-up and creeping sense of dread that followed you throughout. I loved the way it explored the cold case across the two timelines, but I was let down by the final third.

No One Saw a Thing by Andrea Mara

🧠

CW: death, gaslighting, abduction, blackmail, stalking, bullying, grief, classism

This had a fantastic concept and was riveting reading with some great twists and turns. However I wasn’t a huge fan of the final revelations. I will check another Mara out though.

So Happy For You by Celia Laskey

⭐️🏳️‍🌈

CW: violence, injury, blood, death, murder, homophobia, animal death

This had another great set-up with a dystopian look at wedding culture, sinister undertones and an engaging plot centred around this toxic friendship. I appreciated the message but was a little underwhelmed by the ending.

Deadly Animals by Marie Tierney

CW: death, murder, violence, abuse, paedophilia, gore, death of a child, animal death, corpses

This was compulsively readable with a brilliant protagonist and a case that chilled me to my core. It was superbly paced with surprising twists. An astoundingly good debut.

Everything We Never Said by Sloan Harlow

⭐️🏳️‍🌈🧠

CW: death, murder, abusive relationship, gaslighting, physical abuse, stalking

I enjoyed the overall message of this and the way the mystery was constructed, but I found some of the romantic aspects unnecessary. The writing is fast-paced and compelling too.

The Mousetrap by Agatha Christie

CW: death, murder, neglect, abuse

This is a well-loved classic for a reason. I loved the additional material included in my special anniversary edition too.

The Hive by Anna February

⭐️🏳️‍🌈🧠

CW: murder, death, violence, classism, torture, gore, injury, manipulation, grief

This combines chilling dystopian with an engaging murder mystery to deliver a thought-provoking read with plenty to say about power, climate change and working to fight unjust systems. Inventive and intriguing.

Full review here.

How to Seal Your Own Fate by Kristen Perrin

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CW: death, murder, violence, sexual assault, rape, drugging, blackmail, manipulation, classism

This was was exactly the type of cosy crime I adore with three-dimensional characters, long-buried secrets and plots that keep the pages flowing past. Kristen Perrin has delivered again. 

Full review here.

A Sharp Scratch by Heather Darwent

🏳️‍🌈🧠

CW: death, murder, violence, fire, manipulation, gaslighting, mental illness, injury

This was a scathing indictment of the wellness industry in a brilliant, bizarre book. You become enmeshed in the mystery of it all and the complex characterisation.

Full review here.

The Man Made of Smoke by Alex North

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CW: murder, death, violence, fire, death of a child, abuse

This was the type of thriller that leaves you with shivers. It was heart-pounding and compulsively readable with a plot that me glued to the pages.

Full review here.

The Thrashers by Julie Soto

⭐️🏳️‍🌈🧠

CW: death, alcoholism, addiction, manipulation, gaslighting, bullying, grief

This was an entertaining YA thriller that delves into toxic friendships, trauma, the reinforcement of social hierarchies and bullying. It is well paced and plotted with some fantastic surprises in store.

Full review here.

Wish You Were Her by Elle McNicoll

⭐️🏳️‍🌈💙

CW: ableism, bullying, sexual assault, harassment

This was a phenomenal return to Lake Pristine with a heartfelt romance at its core. Allegra instantly found a special place in my heart. It is so fantastic to read these romances that spotlight autistic characters. A real ray of sunshine.

Full review here.

A Murder for Miss Hortense by Mel Pennant

⭐️🧠

CW: murder, death, violence, stalking, abusive relationship, racism

This introduced a fantastic protagonist – observant, sharp-witted and deeply caring. It is an emotionally rich mystery speaking to some ugly truths of society. Mel Pennant is one to watch.

Full review here.

Girls of Dark Divine by E. V. Woods

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CW: death, violence, murder, abusive relationship, loss of autonomy, coercive control, physical violence, injury, grief

This was another bold and blistering debut that explores dark themes through its rich fantasy world. It tugs on your heartstrings as you find yourself trapped with Emberlyn and her cruel fate.

Full review here.

Beautiful People by Amanda Jennings

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CW: death, murder, violence, rape, drugging, sexual assault, classism, mental illness

This was one of those books that leaves you with a pit in your stomach. It is was dark and difficult reading across the two timelines & an exploration on the dark side of privilege particularly in the entertainment industry.

The Six Murders of Daphne St Clair by MacKenzie Common

🏳️‍🌈🧠

CW: death, murder, violence, poisoning, rape, sexual assault, domestic abuse

This was a fantastic take on the true crime industry with a uniquely unnerving serial killer at its heart. Common interrogates the sensationalism of crime here with a layered and complex narrative that I devoured.

Full review here.

Death on the Pier by Jamie West

🏳️‍🌈

CW: death, murder, blackmail

This was a solid and enjoyable historical murder mystery with a theatrical lens that I adored. The pacing and construction were good but lacked a wow factor for me.

If We Survive This by Racquel Marie

⭐️🏳️‍🌈🧠

CW: death, grief, injury, violence, suicidal ideation, gore, death of a child, contamination anxiety

This is a heart in your mouth YA horror story all about survival and family. Marie continues to shine in her work and that comparison of Yellowjackets meets The Last of Us rings true.

Full review here.

Six Wild Crowns by Holly Race

⭐️🏳️‍🌈🧠

CW: violence, death, misogyny, rape, sexual assault, sexism, war

This was a really inventive and fascinating fantasy novel loosely inspired by the six wives of Henry VIII. It is full of political machinations, interesting magic systems and treachery. I cannot wait to continue this story.

Full review here.

Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V. E. Schwab

⭐️🏳️‍🌈🧠

CW: death, murder, violence, gore, torture, fire, sexual assault, rape, blood, injury, grief

This was one of the best books I’ve read so far this year. Schwab absolutely smashes it out of the park in this beautifully written, considered dark fantasy novel about grief, revenge and trying to fill the endless hunger inside. Toxic lesbian vampires rule the roost in this powerhouse of a book.

Hunted by Abir Mukherjee

⭐️

CW: death, terrorism, bombing, violence, murder, manipulation, kidnapping, injury

This was a heart-pounding thriller with some timely points that deserve to be listened to. The tension is paramount as you can feel that clock ticking down towards destruction. Some of the final act didn’t quite work for me but there was a lot to enjoy here.

This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone

⭐️🏳️‍🌈

CW: war, death, genocide, injury, violence, blood

I think there was a lot to enjoy here and I can appreciate the time-bendingness of it all – it’s best when you focus on these two complex characters at its core. However, for me, at times it was overwritten and unwilling to explore the richness around it.